1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to nailing machines and, more specifically, to a method and apparatus for squaring fabricated framing members prior to nailing facing material comprising components including sheathing thereto. A preformed wall section having a frame and studs has a sheathing member placed thereover and fastened thereto whereby said components form a prefabricated wall section. To ensure that the assembled wall section is square the assembly line has stops positioned on each side of the guide track. These stops are engineered to be in alignment with each other and causing the workpieces to form two right angles prior to release for nailing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other panel assembly systems designed for fastening sub-components. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 2,111,081 issued to R. G. Taylor, on Mar. 15, 1938.
Another patent was issued to G. E. Stilwell, on Dec. 14, 1948 as U.S. Pat. No. 12,456,221. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 3,090,961 was issued to K. M. McRae, on May 28, 1963 and still yet another was issued on Jan. 5, 1971 to Edgar G. M. Dykeman & Kathaleen M. Dykeman, as U.S. Pat. No. 3,552,624.
Another patent was issued to Edgar G. M. Dykeman & Kathaleen M. Dykeman on Jan. 26, 1971 as U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,439. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,560 was issued to Garye R. Vail on Jul. 13, 1976. Another was issued to Edgar O. Slade on Jul. 5, 1977 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,097 and still yet another was issued on Dec. 15, 1981 to Robert Schultz as U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,538.
Another patent was issued to Joseph Richardelli & Robert E. Thompson on Sep. 19, 1989 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,819. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,819 was issued to Gilles Lacour on Oct. 22, 1991. Another was issued to Wally H. Greiner, Harold Ujc, and Frank Lacrosse on Jul. 8, 1997 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,646,860 and still yet another was issued on Mar. 17, 1998 to Daisaku Kugo as U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,301.
This invention relates to box nailing machines and particularly to one making crate heads for lettuce and other produce creates. The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved and simplified machine for arranging and feeding the various head parts in proper assembled order to the nailing machine, and for than actuating the latter, both to nail the slats on the frame and to simultaneously spike the rails and post together, all in automatic and timed relation.
This invention relates to box nailing machines and has particular utility in the manufacture of crate heads. The primary object of this invention is to provide a novel crate head maker which is relatively low in first cost and economical in operation. The objects of this invention also embrace the provision in a nailing machine of a novel shook magazine and feed mechanism; a novel work stacking mechanism, a novel nail chuck mechanism; a novel control mechanism for feeding the work intermediately from one position to another; a means for adjusting such a control mechanism for rendering the same flexible as to the feeding intervals which can be produced; and a means for manually setting or timing said feed control mechanism.
This invention relates, in general, to apparatus for fastening together structural members, and more particularly to an apparatus for conveying structural members beneath a fastening means for the application of fastening elements through the structural members. The principle object of this invention is to provide an apparatus which will fasten structural members together to allow for the prefabrication of structural panel sections.
This invention relates to a jig for assembling the stringers and deck boards of a pallet and carrying them beneath a nailing machine structure where they can be nailed together. The jig contains a pair of laterally adjustable, pivotally mounted support members for supporting the opposite longitudinal ends of the underlying stringers, the support members being arranged to be cammed outwardly when they have cleared the nailing machine structure to cause the partially constructed pallet to drop from the jig.
This invention relates to an assembly line for nailing wooden pallets which are formed by a plurality of deck boards placed crosswise to and on both sides of a plurality of spaced stringers. The assembly line includes a jig for positioning and holding the stringers and deck boards for on side of the pallet, a first automatic machine, a pallet turnover device, a second nailing machine for nailing the deck boards to the other side of the pallet, a pallet stacking device, and various transfer conveyers for automatically conducting the pallet to and from the mentioned components of the assembly line in the order named.
An automatic pallet assembling system which includes a pair of conventional nailing machines for separately nailing each side of a pallet and conveying means for carrying the half-finished pallet between the nailing machines. The stringers and deck boards are automatically fed to the first nailing machine in the proper sequence for nailing. After nailing, the half-finished pallet is automatically turned over and offset with respect to its direction of movement before being fed to the second nailing machine where the final set of deck boards are automatically fed into position for nailing. With five personnel (including two inspectors) operating the assembly system, a production rate of up to eight pallets per minute can be achieved.
An integrated system for fabricating the wall section for a building. The wall section includes a framework composed of plural studs disposed in a parallel array between an opposed pair of plates and has sheathing secured over the framework. The system comprises a first workstation including a frame for supporting the studs and a frame for supporting the plates in abutment with the ends of the studs. Automatic nailing means are supported on a carriage which is movable along the frame and is operative to nail the abutting stud and plate portions together. Portions of the frame means are retractable to enable a conveyor to move the framework, once assembled, to a second workstation. The first workstation also includes cutting means mounted on a carriage for cutting off excess end portions from the opposed plates extending beyond the most upstream stud of the wall section. The second workstation includes a conveyor for receipt of the assembled framework. Pneumatic stapling means are located at the second workstation and mounted on a carriage for movement therealong. The stapler means is operative to secure sheathing over the framework. The second workstation also includes a second carriage movable therealong and carrying a saw and a router for movement across the workstation. The saw and router are adapted for cutting away portions of the sheathing to form openings in the wall section for doors, windows, etc.
Portable apparatus for automatically constructing prefabricated stud walls or other frame structures from standard materials. Elongate studs are placed transversely at spaced intervals between a pair of elongate wall plate members by a reciprocatingly rotating stud-selecting mechanism and a linearly reciprocating spacer mechanism. As each stud is placed between the plate members, it is automatically nailed thereto, forming a portion of the wall frame, after which the completed portion of the frame is advanced an incremental distance along an assembly structure by the spacer mechanism, which pushes on the newly nailed stud to advance the frame to a position for nailing the next succeeding stud, and so forth in automatic cyclic fashion. A semi-automatic sheathing fastener mechanism includes a plurality of fastener guns and an automatically controlled actuation mechanism for placing fasteners at predetermined locations. Apparatus is provided for varying the spacing between wall plates and for reducing overall width of the apparatus for legal highway transport. The apparatus includes self-contained electrically-powered pneumatic and hydraulic systems, and fluid-operated control systems.
Laterally spaced apart longitudinal frame members are advanced to a frame assembly station by infeed drive units. Transverse frame members are advanced to the frame assembly table by laterally disposed sweep platforms and by diverter tables disposed above the frame assembly station. Automatic nailing assemblies on opposite lateral sides of the assembly table drive nails into the longitudinal frame members and transverse members disposed therebetween. Positioning of the transverse members is effected by computer controlled, reciprocative, joist-engaging stops downstream of the frame assembly table. Laterally spaced apart guide rails carry the frame workpiece to a glue-applying station equipped with a laterally movable nozzle and a pair of laterally spaced apart stationary nozzles. A frame indexer disposed below the glue-applying station advances and positions the workpiece under a sheet-placing station. The sheet placer positions the covering material so that abutting edges of adjacent sheets are disposed over the selected transverse frame members. An assembly indexer advances the frame and sheet material assembly to a sheet-fastening station and holds the transverse member bearing the abutting edge portions of the sheet material against reciprocative stops mounted in the base of the sheet nailing assembly. Vertically reciprocative nailing chucks are disposed above the workpiece in side-by-side pairs to position nails on the abutting edge portions of the sheet material. Associative reciprocative drive means force the nails into the sheet material and the selected transverse frame member disposed therebelow.
A paying out/winding in device eliminates torsion in a line in a rotary connection between a fixed member and a mobile member to which respective ends of the line are fixed. This device comprises a fixed spool carrying a relatively small number of turns and fastened to the fixed member. A mobile spool near and coaxial with the fixed spool carries a relatively small number of turns and is fastened to the mobile member. An arm rotatable about the axis of the fixed and mobile spools carries a satellite pulley at its free end. It is rotatable about an axis inclined at a relatively small angle to the axis of the fixed and mobile pulleys. When rotating more slowly than the mobile spool, it transfers line from the mobile spool to the fixed spool or vice-versa. The arm is rotated by a system which comprises at least one sliding coupling having a primary member, a secondary member fastened to the arm and a first freewheel mechanism coupling the primary member to the mobile spool. A second freewheel mechanism couples the secondary member to the fixed spool.
A table is provided to assist in the manufacture of building structures such as walls and the like, where the walls comprise a plurality of studs extending between top and bottom members. The table comprises a support surface for supporting the top and bottom members of the wall. The table includes grasping means to grasp the building structure and move it along the support surface. A computer-operated controller controls motors to locate the top and bottom framing members as desired along the table and to locate the top and bottom framing members at desired locations adjacent assembly stations. The assembly stations are used to attach a stud to each of the top and bottom members. The assembly stations are mounted on tracks and the location of the assembly stations along the track is controlled by a servo motor under control from the controller. The assembly stations may move transverse to the top and bottom framing members. The assembly stations are also movable in a vertical plane so as to be movable below the support plane of the table and to be movable to a plane to form connections. The assembly stations are also pivotable about a vertical axis.
An assembly system comprises a supply jig for holding and positioning a plurality of parts one by one, a supply center for inserting a plurality of parts into the supply jig, a plurality of assembly centers for taking out the parts from the supply jig and assembling the parts into products in parallel processing, carrier conveyor for carrying the supply jig from the supply center to the assy centers and return conveyor for returning the supply jig from the assembly centers to the supply center. The supply jig supplies the common parts which are required in all of the assembly centers, while each of the assembly centers comprises individual supply means for supplying a non-common part. Thus, this system can cope with assembling various types of products simultaneously, and can eliminate line stoppage upon occurrence of a trouble or for periodic inspection in any one of the centers, thereby production capability is improved.
While these assembly devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described.
It is thus desirable to provide a panel assembly system that allows for a process of moving the clamped wall panel assembly through the nail guns.
There are other panel building systems known in the art. While these panel building systems may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described. The present invention seeks to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by introducing a conveyer assembly for moving pre-framed exterior wall panels that are clenched between drag chains that contact firmly against the top plate and the bottom plate of the panel to urge them along two parallel horizontal support beams where they are automatically squared to close, consistent tolerances and then sheathed.
Each wall section is placed upon the horizontal support beams which are selectively spaced apart by the operator to accommodate the wall panels being formed. A drag chain extends longitudinally along the top portion of each horizontal support beam and a pre-framed wall panel is placed therebetween to provide the impetus for the travel of the wall panel through the remainder of the assembly process.
One drag chain is rigidly mounted to its respective horizontal support beam and the other has a resilient cushioning material on the side opposite the panel so as to allow for the lateral movement thereof within a predetermined tolerance to compensate for variations in height along the length of the panel while maintaining an adequate amount of tension to effectively transport the panel along the conveyor assembly.
The panel advances into a pair of squaring stops, one on the inside of each horizontal support beam and substantially perpendicular thereto, that serve to prohibit the panel from traveling any further once first contact is made with a squaring stop triggering a sensor means. The squaring stops are fixed to allow for limited pivoting movement and are slightly inclined away from the approaching panels until such time that the opposing forward corner of the wall panel assembly contacts the opposing squaring stop triggering the opposing squaring stop sensor. Once the two opposing squaring stop sensors have been triggered indicating that the panel has been squared, pneumatic pistons are activated to retract the squaring stops so as to no longer inhibit the movement of the panel thereby enabling it to advance along the conveyor assembly.
An additional sensor is positioned within the guide track performing the function of repositioning the squaring stops into the path of the next wall panel assembly after the prior wall panel assembly has moved beyond the retracted squaring stops.
The clamping tension of the drag chains is preset to allow the chains to overcome the inertia of the panel and continue moving by slipping along the top plate or the bottom plate of the panel as long as it is butted up against its respective squaring stop. When the first plate contacts its squaring stop the corresponding drag chain slips until the second plate solidly contacts its respective squaring stop at which point the panel section is squared and the squaring stop members are pneumatically retracted to release the panel.
Sheathing is manually tacked into place once the panel is squared and the panel continues along the conveyor assembly and passes under a stationary nail bridge having a plurality of fastener guns. Once the panel is appropriately positioned the fastener guns are synchronously fired and the process continues at each stud as the panel passes therethrough. Furthermore, a stud-straightening element may also be employed to straighten each stud prior to nailing to insure that each nail is properly imbedded in the stud to yield a high quality finished panel.